The Chicago Reporter

About two weeks ago I did a series of posts about surviving high school, but I didn’t really say anything about safety. So I just want to you know tell you a couple of rules that I think every teen should try and practice, even if my suggestions sound stupid.

Here goes:

1.  When riding any type of public transportation, always ride with a friend. When you ride with a friend, offenders are discouraged from trying to harm you or take you when there’s someone else there to see you.

2.      If you can’t ride with a friend, then try to orient yourself around a large group of people your age. This makes it more difficult for them to make a scene without being noticed.

3.       Sit close to the driver or the conductor (if riding the train). They monitor disturbances and will notice if you disappear abruptly.

4.       If you’re waiting for someone to pick you up, meet in a public place where someone else knows you’re waiting.

5.      Always let someone know when you’re on your way home or are experiencing any delays.  Sometimes buses and trains aren’t perfectly on schedule.

I know we’ve all heard these things before but it’s always important to stay safe. But according to this website, 85 to 90 percent of people that are reported as missing in 2000 were minors (kids under 18). In 1982 the number of reported missing people was 154,341! That’s even higher than the population of Berkley, Calif., home of the top six colleges in the world!

Now on to some light-hearted information as food for thought. This Sunday is Grandparents’ Day! A time of year when we show our grandparents the appreciation for the awesome gifts of love and relentless birthday wishes. Wait, pause that and reverse that last statement! Anyway, I would start thinking about a way to surprise them.  Okay, I’ve got to go organize my Pre-calculus binder so remember: Lockers are for storing your books and belongings, not for shoving people in!

                                                                                                            Franchesca